Development of a System for Repairing Damaged Tissue Utilizing 3D Printed Biodegradable Scaffolds and Computer Vision Approaches

Abstract

AbstractOne of the main therapeutic problems worldwide is the restoration of cartilaginous lesions in order to prevent osteoarthritis which can lead to heavy and high‐cost joint replacement operations with metal implants. In situations where large cartilage lesions occur, the only solution is the transplantation of autologous cells such as chondrocytes or mesenchymal cells. These transplants require the use of scaffolds that are derived from various animals or even synthetic materials, acting as carriers of the above‐mentioned cells. In the context of this study, an integrated system is introduced aiming to rapidly design and fabricate customized 3D‐printed scaffolds, which are constructed from biomaterials, providing that way a valuable solution to their production as well as eliminating the need for multiple operations. The main idea is the employment of a stereoscopic endoscope during the arthroscopy operation extracting stereoscopic images of the investigated area in order to perform a 3D reconstruction of the cartilage lesion area prior and after the surgeon's operation. The fusion of the preoperative images (magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] for organic tissue and computed tomography [CT] for synthetic phantoms) with the captured stereoscopic images allows the formulation of an appropriate 3D model of the scaffold. In addition, the physical model of the scaffold is manufactured with the aid of a sterilized 3D printer utilizing biomaterials, such as polycaprolactone (PCL), chitosan, etc. Finally, the 3D printed scaffold is impregnated with autologous cells and inserted into the cartilage lesion during the arthroscopy operation saving precious time and reducing the overall rehabilitation cost.